Smokeless powder



Patented Jan. 13, 1931 SERENO G. NORTON, OF KENVIL, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO HERCULES POWDER COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION DELAWARE V SMOKELESS POWDER No Drawing.

My invention relates to an improvement in smokeless powder and more particularly to the so-called single and double base powders.

Heretofore in the production of double base smokeless powder it has been known to incorporate nitroglycerin with nitrocellulose,

wet gun cotton, or wet collodion nitrocotton. the incorporation bein etlected through the medium of heated rolls, with the addition, if desirable. of small amounts of a stabilizer, as diphenylamine, centralite. or the like. The advantages of such process lie primarily in the fact that water in the nitrocotton is evaporated by the heat of the rolls, thus avoiding the necessity for dehydrating the nitrocotton with, for example, alcohol, and in the fact that the plant equipment required may be readily and expeditiously assembled in times of emergency. Such proczo ess, however, possesses certain disadvantages.

more particularly, that the nitroglycerin is highly sensitive and local explosions or snapping is likely to occur on the rolls during the incorporation of the ingredients.

Now in accordance with my invention I have discovered that if an abietate, as for example, an alkyl abietate, an aryl abietate, or the like he added to wet gun cotton or wet collodion nitrocotton, together with a dcsirable amount of nitroglycerin and. if desirable, a stabilizer, that asmokeless powder having definite advantages will be produced and that the process of incorporation will be speeded up, a more homogeneous mixture produced and local explosions or snapping, on the rolls, avoided.

The smokeless powder in accordance with my invention will have a reduced temperature of burning in, for example, arifle barrel with reduction of muzzle flash, erosion and operating temperature of the barrel. At

the same time. the abietate will, during the incorporation of the ingredients, act as a desensitizer to an extent suflicient to avoid local explosions, or snapping, on the hot rolls, and due to its colloding power on the gun cotton or nitrocotton will act to speed up the incorporation of the ingredients and promote the production of a more homogeneous' mixture than heretofore.

Application filed May 28,

In the production of a smokeless powder in accordance with my invention, I may use as the abietate, for example, an alkyl abietate, as ethyl abietate. methyl abietate, or the like, an aryl abietate, as phenyl abietate, or the like. an aralkyl abietate, as benzylabietate,

1928. Serial No. 281,360.

or the like. The abietate may be pr0ducg-d for example, by the treatment of abietic acid, relatively pure. or as present in rosins, as wood or gum rosin, with, for example. an alkyl halide, or an aryl halide, or the like, in the resence of an alkali. as sodium or potassium hydroxide, or the like. The treatment is preferably efiected with the ingredi ents in solution. forexample, in alcohol, and with the application of heat and pressure. the abietate being recovered by distillation, preferably under reduced pressure.

The composition of a double'base smokeless powder in accordance with my invention, using, for example, ethyl abietate, which may be prepared, for example. by the heating of abietic acid. or wood rosin. with ethyl chloride in the presence of sodium hydroxide in solution in alcohol, the ethyl abietate being recovered by distillation under reduced pressure, is illustrated by the following formula:

Parts et nitrocotton (nitrogen 13.30%) 70 (dry basis) 50 Nitroglycerin 3O Ethyl abietate 5-10 Barium nitrate 6 Potassium nitrate 2 Diphenylamine 0.75

Double base smokeless powders in accordance with my invention may be produced with the essential ingredients within varying ranges of proportions, for example, as indicated in the following table:

Parts Wet nitrocotton; 90450 (drybasis) 63-42 Nitroglycerin 5-30 Abietate 5-10 derstood that various abietates may be used in the same manner as when nitroglycerin is also used for the production of the so-called double base powders.

The composition of a single base powder embodying my invention is illustrated by the following formula:

' Parts Wet nitrocellulose 120 (dry basis) 85 #Abieta 10-20 In the production of single base powders in accordance with my invention, various ingredients, as a stabilizer, etc., in addition to nitrocellulose and an. abietate, may be included and the essential ingredients ma be used in varying proportions as indicated by the following table: P ts Wet nitrocellulose 95 75 (drybasis) 52 -66 Abietate 5 -25 In the production of single base powders various abietates may be used, in quantities within the ranges indicated in the above table, and the powder will be produced in a manner similar to that described in connection with double base powders. The addition of an abietate to single base powders will involve the same advantages as in the a case. of double base powders, but to a lesser extent, due to the absence of the nitroglycerin present in the double base powders.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A smokeless powder including as ingredients nitrocellulose and an abietate.

2. A smokeless powder including as ingredients nitrocellulose and ethyl abletate.

3. A smokeless powder including as ingredients nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin and an abietate.

4. A smokeless powder including ingredients nitrocellulose and an a l ahietate.

5. A smokeless powder inclu 'ng as ingredients nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine, and an alkyl abietate.

6. A smokeless powder including as ingre- 4 dients nitrocellulose within the range 90-60 parts and an abietate within the range 5-25 parts gel 100 parts of finished explosive.

7. smokeless powder including as ingredients nitrocellulose within the range 90-60 parts and ethyl abietate within the range 5-25 parts per 100 parts of finished explosive.

8. A smokeless powder including as 'ingre- I dients nitrocellulose within the range 90-60 parts, an abietate within the range 5-25 parts and nitroglycerin per 100 parts of finished explosive. I

9. A-smokeless powder including as ingredients nitrocellulose within the range 90-60 parts, ethyl abietate withinthe range 5-25 parts and nitroglycerin per 100 parts of finished explosive.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand at Kenvil, N. J., on this 21st day of May, 1928. i SERENO G. NORTON. 

